Archive for February, 2007

NEC has developed a plant-derived plastic for electronic devices and created the first mobile phone made of this kind of plastic in the world. About 75% of the surface area in Eco Mobile N701iECO (released by NTT DoCoMo in March 2006) is made of kenaf fiber-reinforced bioplastic. The higher the plant ratio, the weaker the strength of the ordinary bioplastics used for electronic devices. Therefore, it used to be necessary to mix in approximately 50% worth of oil-derived materials before applying such bioplastics to products. However, NEC created a bioplastic with a plant ratio of as high as 90% that has enough strength and heat resistance for mobile phones, by using its original technology for combining kenaf fiber and vegetable reinforcing agents.
::
see also:

The IT and Environment Initiative is an international consortium engaging in research and dissemination activities to improve understanding and awareness of the effects of the Information Technology revolution on environmental issues.

New ways and new architectures to build computers and intelligent systems. Nowaday physical limits have been reached in the traditional way of enhancing the power of a single processor; Europe, United States and Japan are on the run to define the new architectures’ standards. European Community choosed to launch a research coordination program and Italy, with Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (National Institute of Nuclear Physics), has a leadership role.

Olympus announces the development of a three dimensional compression moulding process for wooden materials. The new process draws extensively on Olympus expertise in precision metal-forming technologies. The processed wooden material has the feel and grain pattern of natural wood, but is much harder than engineering plastics such as ABS and polycarbonate resins; it is strong enough to be used to create the outer casings of electronic products. A prototype example of a camera case created using this new technology was exhibited at the Photokina 2006 in Cologne, Germany.
::
see also:

Feathers are made of the protein keratin, which in fiber form is both light and tough enough to withstand mechanical and thermal stresses. The hollow fiber is of very low density, providing strength without sacrificing weight. The dielectric constant of air is 1.0 and that of silicon dioxide is 3.8–4.2, keratin fibers have a dielectric constant of 1.6. That means electrons can move on the feather-based printed circuit boards at twice the speed as traditional circuit boards.
::
see also:

Thin film solar modules don’t use the costly, and limited, silicon that we are used to. The technology is based on CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) arranged on a flexible backing, suitable for not only the tops of building, but also a variety of applications. Thin film solar panels are “printed” onto the rolled backing, eliminating many of the highly energy and chemical intensive processes that are typical in convention PV manufacture.
::
see also:

Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition is a diverse organization engaged in research, advocacy, and grassroots organizing to promote human health and environmental justice in response to the rapid growth of the hi-tec industry.